Anglo- and Mexican-American performance on the MMPI administered in Spanish or English

The MMPI was administered in either Spanish or English to 450 Anglo or Mexican-Americans matched for sex and age. All 150 Anglo-Americans were tested in English, while half the 300 Mexican-Americans were tested in Spanish and the other half in English. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant age, sex, and language/ethnicity differences. Univariate analyses of variance demonstrated that Mexican-Americans tested in Spanish scored significantly higher than either Anglos or Mexican-Americans tested in English on 10 MMPI scales. Mexican-Americans tested in English, however, scored higher than Anglos on only one scale. Results are interpreted in terms of cultural differences with test language the primary determinant of level of acculturation.